Yucky Worms by Vivian French is a random library book that made its way into our cart a few weeks ago, and I’m so glad it did! If I had found this book even six months from now, I’m afraid the window of opportunity for optimal enjoyment of it by my girls would’ve been almost closed. As it stands, I’d say this one was most enjoyed by six year old Louise; seven-and-a-half year old Lulu was almost too old for it already. This is an informational book tucked into a cozy little grandmother-grandson gardening tale. Grandmother teaches grandson all about earthworms and why they’re important after he wants to “throw away” an earthworm she digs up. The book contains a diagram with the parts of the earthworm labeled, shown underground so that it’s a part of the story that doesn’t interfere with the story’s flow. Also included are several other underground scenes depicting things like earthworm tunnels, earthworms coming to the surface for food or water, and earthworms hibernating deep in the earth during cold times. These underground illustrations and the garden illustrations, all done in pencil and gouache by Jessica Ahlberg, help create a very interesting and visually pleasing whole. Facts are scattered through the illustrations, and the earthworms “speak” to each other and the reader through speech balloons, which is one element of the book I find a little out-of-sync with the sweet tone of the story. However, I think this might actually make it more appealing to kids who are slightly older than might otherwise enjoy this tale. This is actually a book that would work better as an independent (or at least one-on-one or a few) read because of all the extra information. It’s a nice overview of a common animal that will surely be a part of our outdoors experiences as we approach spring.
Vivian French is a prolific author with scores of books to her credit, including a book we enjoyed several years ago, Growing Frogs (linked to my review).
(Candlewick, 2009)
It was a timely read, too! Thanks to this book, we had a mini-lesson on earthworms when we observed one on our latest nature walk.
This week’s Nonfiction Monday round-up is at Wendie’s Wanderings.
Very fun & informative book. I’ll share this with our primary teachers. Thank you!
My boys might like this. They went through a phase where they loved worms and would spend hours outside building “worm houses”.
They’ve kind of moved beyond that but I bet they would still like the book!
Have you ever read Diary of a Worm? They thought that was hilarious. Not as informative but it might be fun to read if you just read this.
GAA!! WORM IN THE HAND!!
Hi! Thanks for sharing this book. I think I’ve seen this book reviewed before and like what you noted, it does seem to be recommended as a supplementary material or for older readers. I myself am a bit squeamish when it comes to all things wriggly.